(qiān) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

qiān to sign, to endorse; a note, a slip of paper 13 strokes · Radical (bamboo) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)
👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 签 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced qiān.

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
签 — 13 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图(数字为下笔顺序)。

Decomposition

breaks down into 2 components arranged as Top + Bottom. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

=
top bamboo
bottom all

Radical

The radical of is — meaning bamboo. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: .

How the character is built

is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component (bamboo) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component originally indicated the sound.

HSK 4 Words Containing 签

qiānzhèng to sign; visa
我已经拿到了签证。
Wǒ yǐjīng nádào le qiānzhèng.
I've already got my visa.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

appears in 13 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

证已经办好了。
From Mock Exam 03 →

Tasks Featuring 签 / 相关任务

Words containing appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 交流、处理日常事务
Handle Daily Affairs · 签证

FAQ

What does 签 mean in Chinese?

签 (qiān) means to sign, to endorse; a note, a slip of paper. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 签 have?

签 is written in 13 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 签?

The radical of 签 is ⺮ (bamboo). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 篇, 管, 笨, 符, 籍.

What is the pinyin for 签?

签 is pronounced qiān.

What HSK 4 words use 签?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 签 appears in 1 word, including 签证 (qiānzhèng). See the full list above.

All Characters qiàn →